The effect of distance learning classroom design on student perceptions

This study investigated the effects of camera angle and monitor placement in a simulated distance-learning environment. Of particular interest were the effects on perceived instructor credibility and immediacy behaviors. A videotape of a lecture on an academically relevant topic was produced using a high-angle and an eye-level camera. Participants viewed one of the presentations in either a traditional classroom design (one monitor, front center of room) or in small groups with a monitor for each group. Participants were observed as they viewed the videotape of interest, following which they completed a questionnaire and posttest. Results suggest that an eye-level camera, and multiple monitors with groups of 4–5 students positively influence instructor credibility, immediacy, and interactions. The implications of these findings and recommendations for design of a distance-learning classroom are discussed.     

Clarity and coherence of lesson goals as a scaffold for student learning

The article addresses clarity and coherence of lesson goals as a scaffold for student learning. In 13 physics classes video recordings of the introductory lesson of two topics were rated with respect to clarity and coherence of the lesson structure. HLM analyses showed a positive effect of classes with high goal clarity and coherence on the students' reports on supportive learning conditions, self-determined learning motivation and organising learning activities. Over the course of a school year high goal clarity and coherence resulted in a positive competence development. No effect was found for individual interest development.     

Videobased lesson analysis: Effective science PD for teacher and student learning

The Science Teachers Learning from Lesson Analysis (STeLLA) project is a videobased analysis‐of‐practice PD program aimed at improving teacher and student learning at the upper elementary level. The PD program developed and utilized two “lenses,” a Science Content Storyline Lens and a Student Thinking Lens, to help teachers analyze science teaching and learning and to improve teaching practices in this year‐long program. Participants included 48 teachers (n = 32 experimental, n = 16 control) and 1,490 students. The STeLLA program significantly improved teachers' science content knowledge and their ability to analyze science teaching. Notably, the STeLLA teachers further increased their classroom use of science teaching strategies associated with both lenses while their students increased their science content knowledge. Multi‐level HLM analyses linked higher average gains in student learning with teachers' science content knowledge, teachers' pedagogical content knowledge about student thinking, and teaching practices aimed at improving the coherence of the science content storyline. This paper highlights the importance of the science content storyline in the STeLLA program and discusses its potential significance in science teaching and professional development more broadly. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., J Res Sci Teach 48: 117–148, 2011     

The effect of portfolios on students' learning: student teachers' views

This study reports on student teachers' views of portfolios as a learning tool when they are combined with a weekly test conducted at the end of each lesson to help student teachers self‐evaluate. Student teachers' written reflections during the process provided data for the study. Analysis of the data showed that a majority of student teachers initially felt that compiling a portfolio would be time‐consuming and an extra burden added to their already busy schedule. However, later on they all found that the process was a useful learning experience. Moreover, the portfolio process – especially combining self‐reflection with weekly tests – encouraged students to study regularly, increased retention and made learning more enjoyable. Suggestions for the successful portfolio implementation include the following: guiding students both at the beginning of and during the process, providing continuous and prompt feedback during the process and making self‐reflection – especially guided by reflection prompts – an essential part of the process.     

A mixed methods comparison of teachers' lunar modeling lesson implementation and student learning outcomes

The authors compare three teachers' adaptations and implementation of a lunar modeling lesson to explain marked differences in student learning outcomes on a spatial-scientific lunar assessment. They used a modified version of the Practices of Science Observation Protocol (P-SOP; Forbes, Biggers, &; Zangori, 2013 Forbes C., Biggers, M., &; Zangori, L. (2013). Investigating essential characteristics of scientific practices in elementary science learning environments: The practices of science observation protocol (P-SOP). School Science and Mathematics, 113, 180–190.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) to identify ways in which features of inquiry were emphasized in each classroom. Additionally, classroom communities of practice were categorized as task-based or practice-based (Riel &; Polin, 2004 Riel, M. &; Polin, L. (2004). Learning communities: Common ground and critical differences in designing technical support. In S. Barab, R. Kling, &; J. Gray (Eds.), Designing for virtual communities in the service of learning (pp. 16–52). Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). The authors found that student learning outcomes were related to the fidelity with which the teachers implemented the lesson. Teachers with higher P-SOP scores fostered more of a practice-based learning community than task-based one, which also paralleled greater student learning gains. Although the students' scores did not differ by teacher on the preassessment, they did differ significantly on the postassessment, indicating that the curricular choices and learning communities developed by the teachers impacted what students were able to learn.     

The effect of subsuming concepts on student achievement on unfamiliar science learning material

Students enrolled in an undergraduate chemistry class were rank ordered by their performance on a test of organizing ability. The median break was used to form two groups: good organizers (GO) and poor organizers (PO). Students within these groups were randomly assigned to treatments. Treatment I subjects received an advance organizer followed by a learning passage. Treatment II subjects received the same organizer preceeded by the learning passage. Treatment in subjects received an historical nonorganizer and the learning passage. No significant differences were observed on treatment or interaction, but GO group achieved significantly higher learning passage scores than PO group.     

The effect of knowledge of correct results per item on verbal learning and retention

A report of an experiment to measure the effects of both overt and covert responses to educational stimuli with KCR (knowledge of correct results) feedback provided. In most studies of feedback, KCR (or KR) is given as a consequence of an overt response: Stimulus-Response-Feedback. In the case of a covert response, the student constructs his answer but does not react overtly to the presentation of a stimulus item. Forty Ss were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups further divided into 1 control group receiving no feedback and 3 groups receiving information (KCR) according to either overt or covert response patterns. A 25-item multiple-choice test was administered 5 times by means of a terminal consisting of a screen and a teletype. Results showed that the covert paradigm was the most effective. The experiment did not demonstrate that the covert process leads to better performance on a test administered later to measure retention. A tentative explanation for this negative result was that the time interval between the provision of feedback and presentation of the next item was of some relevance. A multiple comparison test revealed that the 3 treatment groups performed better than the control group.     

The effect of worked examples on student learning and error anticipation in algebra

Instructional Science - The present study examines the effectiveness of incorporating worked examples with prompts for self-explanation into a middle school math textbook. Algebra 1 students...     

Investigation of the impact of two verbal instruction formats and prior knowledge on student learning in a simulation-based learning environment

This study investigated how the format of verbal instructions in computer simulations and prior knowledge (PK) affected 8th graders' cognitive load (CL) level and achievement in a multimedia learning environment. Although PK was not found to significantly affect student performance and CL level, instruction format was found to impact both. Students who used narrative simulations were found to have a greater CL but also to perform better than those using simulations with on-screen text instructions. However, no significant differences were found between the cognitive efficiency of the two groups. The difficulty of the subject matter and limitations in students' prior content-related knowledge may have increased the intrinsic CL, such that students had difficulty in interpreting the content even if their PK was relatively high. The narrative instructions were more likely than the on-screen text information to reduce the extraneous CL and promote understanding of content. A new measure of cognitive processing is needed to identify the types of CL involved in e-learning and determine the properties of adequate e-learning materials. Finally, the findings of the study are discussed and suggestions for future studies and instructional design are provided.     

The affective dimensions of learning science

In this study, we identified middle school and college students' prior ideas about electrostatic induction and interviewed them through presenting observational evidence which supported or refuted their own prior ideas. Their responses to the evidence were interpreted from perspectives based on philosophies of science, especially the Popperian and Lakatosian views of scientific hypothesis testing. In the process of confirmation, almost all of the students showed a logical error known as an 'error of affirmation of the consequent' in a syllogism. The students' falsification processes were classified into two groups: those which rejected the hard core of prior ideas, and those which modified the students' protective belt of auxiliary ideas related to the hard core while still preserving the hard core. From an analysis of the students' falsification processes, it was found that the Lakatosian rather than the Popperian view was more acceptable in understanding the students' responses to the conflicting evidence. It was observed that the quality of the understanding of auxiliary ideas should also play an important role in the changing of core concepts.     

Space matters: The impact of formal learning environments on student learning

The objective of this research is to identify the relationship between formal learning spaces and student learning outcomes. Using a quasi‐experimental design, researchers partnered with an instructor who taught identical sections of the same course in two radically different formal learning environments to isolate the impact of the physical environment on student learning. The results of the study reveal that, holding all factors excepting the learning spaces constant, students taking the course in a technologically enhanced environment conducive to active learning techniques outperformed their peers who were taking the same course in a more traditional classroom setting. The evidence suggests strongly that technologically enhanced learning environments, independent of all other factors, have a significant and positive impact on student learning.     

情感因素对英语教和学的启示

近年来,我国在不断探索教育改革的过程中,越来越重视学生的主体地位,情感因素在教学中越来越受到重视。那么,如何在英语的教和学中有效利用情感因素,本文从学习者的个别因素与非个别因素两个方面进行了深入思考。     

The effect of incorporating cooperative learning principles in pair programming for student teachers

Based on their quantitative and qualitative investigations, the authors conclude that pair programming as a strategy for teaching student teachers could be made more effective through the incorporation of principles associated with cooperative learning. They substantiate this claim by referring to a literature study about the advantages and disadvantages of pair programming as a teaching-learning strategy, by then discussing five principles of cooperative learning, and by presenting the findings of their empirical study. Second year student teachers taking a Delphi programming module participated in an experiment conducted over a two year period. In 2005, the participants did computer programming in pairs without the application of principles associated with cooperative learning. In 2006, a similar group of participants also programmed in pairs, but in their case, certain principles associated with cooperative learning were incorporated in the strategy followed by the facilitator. According to a comparison of the module examination marks, the 2006 group outperformed the 2005 group. This finding was confirmed by qualitative investigations.